Mangaluru: After Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Mann Ki Baat edition of November 27 2016, here in Mangaluru, the proprietor of Vardhaman Hotel in Yeyyady is evidently irked.
A forward on WhatsApp showing the board outside Vardhaman Hotel
After Mann Ki Baat edition was aired, a rumour went viral that Modi has lauded Vardhaman Hotel in Mangaluru for allowing people to relish food at the hotel and pay later, in wake of demonetisation move of the government. After the message went viral, Hotel owner M Randhir, member of Jain community started receiving several phone calls congratulating him for this recognition and of course the good work. However, the entire episode had a twist.
The fact is that during the Mann Ki Baat edition, the PM never spoke about Vardhaman Hotel in Mangaluru. Instead the PM lauded the efforts without naming the hotel.
“There is a hotel on NH-6 in Akola, Maharashtra which gives food for free and asks customers to pay later. They have installed a board outside the hotel urging people to have their food even if they do not have money in their pocket. People go to this hotel, pacify their hunger and then honestly return after a few days to pay for the food. This is the strength of my country,” the PM said.
However, someone mistook this to be Vardhaman Hotel in Mangaluru, which too has been doing the same service. A similar board has been put outside Vardhaman Hotel too, which must have created a sense of confusion among the people and some excited Mangalurean must have had circulated this message.
Sathvik, son of Randhir said, “It is true that we have put up a board outside that demonetization should not make people return from this hotel empty stomach. They can have their food without paying for it till November 30. They can return to pay later when they have the currencies in hand. But, when people started calling us saying that PM Modi has appreciated us, we enthusiastically heard the speech. Till about half the speech there was no mention about Vardhaman or even Mangaluru. It is fake news.”
However, there seemed to be only one link to Karnataka in November edition of Mann Ki Baat and that was regarding a phone call from Yellappa from Koppala in North Karnataka, who rang up and appreciated the demonetization move of the PM.
